Have you been feeling like you’re stuck in life?
If you said yes, then I can totally relate to you. There were several days when I just felt stuck and I wasn’t sure what to do to change that.
But I decided to give it some serious thought so I could stop feeling stuck and start moving forward.
So in this article, I want to share with you my insights and some tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start moving forward.
How To Stop Feeling Stuck In Life
Here are some practical tips to help you get unstuck and start making progress.
1) Determine why you feel stuck
I’m a strong believer that if you want to solve a problem, you need to take some time to understand the causes.
That’s why I want you to spend some time thinking about why you feel stuck.
Take a few minutes right now to think about it.
Some of the common reasons include:
- Realizing that your life is not going the way you expected
- Failure to achieve your goals in the expected timeline
- Procrastinating instead of taking action
- Comparing your life to your friends and other people in your age group
2) Get Clear On The Vision For Your Life
If you have been feeling stuck in life, it may be due to the fact that your life does not look the way you envisioned it.
You may also feel stuck if you have not achieved the goals that you wanted to.
If you want to stop feeling stuck, then you have to get super clear about the vision that you have for your life.
It’s important that you focus on your life during this time. If you start comparing your life with your friends or peers, you will only feel worse. You may even find yourself burned out because of chasing goals that you don’t truly desire.
So close your eyes for a few minutes and think about how you see yourself 10, 20 or 30 years from now.
Keep that vision in mind and set your goals based on that.
- Do you envision yourself as a doctor, engineer, or artist? Then set goals that will help you to get there.
- Do you envision yourself as healthy, fit and in shape? Then set goals accordingly.
- Did you see yourself as financially stable? Think about what steps you need to take to get there.
3) Focus On Performance Goals Instead Of Outcome Goals
One of the things that can make you feel stuck in life is unrealized goals. If you keep failing to achieve your goals, you may become discouraged.
It’s always good to set goals but the truth is not every goal is worth pursuing. Working on your goals is a great way to stop feeling stuck and start moving forward.
But if you’re focusing on goals that are focused on the outcome then you may face more failure than you’d like to. And if you keep failing, it can be hard to stop feeling stuck in life.
That’s why it’s important that you ensure that your goals are focused on what you do instead of the outcome.
Take some time to set goals that are focused primarily on your actions instead of external factors or outcomes that you can’t control.
Here are a few examples of performance goals
- Taking a course on business management
- Travel to 2 new cities or countries by the end of the year
- Create and upload 52 YouTube videos by the end of the year
Here are a few examples of outcome goals
- Get a promotion at work by the end of year
- Gain 5000 YouTube subscribers by the end of the year
4) Write Down No More Than 3 Internal Goals
The next step is to write down 1-3 goals that would make you feel like your life is moving forward.
It’s best if you stick to 1-3 goals because you will be able to give more of your time and energy to those goals which will increase your chances of success. If it’s possible, choose just 1 goal and give it your all.
As you think about these goals, make sure you choose goals that are dependent on your actions. Don’t try to pursue goals that are primarily dependent on external factors that you cannot control.
I want you to remember that these goals need to be connected to the overall vision that you have for your life.
Examples of these goals include:
- Spending quiet time with God daily
- Pursuing a degree in your career field of interest
- Saving US$1000 by the end of next quarter
- Exercising 3 times per week
5) Write A Plan For Each Goal
The next step is to write a plan that outlines how you will achieve each of the goals that you chose above.
It’s quite simple to set goals but the challenging part is achieving them.
One of the ways you can increase the likelihood of achieving your goals is by making a plan or identifying the steps you will need to take for success.
Let’s say you decide to save US$6000 by the end of the year. What steps would you need to take to do so?
- Firstly, you would need to determine how much money you will need to save each month ($500)
- Then you would also need to examine your monthly income and expenses to determine if it’s realistic to save $500 each month.
- You would also need to determine if you need an extra source of income
I hope you realize that making a plan will help you set realistic micro goals that will help you eventually achieve the ultimate goal.
6) Execute The Plan By Taking Action Today
The penultimate step is to put the plan(s) into action today or as soon as possible.
One of the things that can make you feel stuck is procrastination. So if you really want to stop feeling stuck, start taking action on goals that align with your vision.
If you keep hoping and wishing for a different life but never take action, then you will keep feeling like your life is not moving forward.
The truth is that your life will always move forward in terms of age. However, if you want it to move forward in terms of achievements and fulfilment of purpose, then you have to take action.
The quicker you start taking action, the quicker you will stop feeling stuck and the more you feel like your life is moving forward.
Just start!
I want you to always keep in mind that your goals should be in alignment with your vision. Achieving random goals that you’re not passionate about will still leave you feeling stuck.
One of the things that can make you feel stuck is procrastination.
7) Be Consistent
The final step is to be consistent. Keep taking action until you achieve your goals and the ultimate vision that you have for your life.
Make it a habit to take daily or weekly action based on your goals.
The good thing is that once you start taking action, it gets easier to keep going. Eventually, you will start to see the progress and transformation that you’re yearning for and that will be even more motivation to keep going.
You can track your progress using a printable or digital habit tracker. The streaks will help to keep you accountable and also serve as an encouragement when you realize how far you have come.
And once you have completed the 1-3 goals you set above, it’s time to set another 1-3 goals that align with your vision.
Remember your goals should be in alignment with your vision.
Takeaway
I really hope you found this article helpful. I want to encourage you to keep going and keep believing that your life has a purpose.
If you have been feeling stuck, remember to:
- Set goals that align with your vision
- Set goals that are performance-based instead of outcome-based
- Focus on 1-3 goals at a time
- Make a plan for each goal
- Take action consistently
Recommended Articles:
- What To Do When You Feel Like You Have No Purpose In Life
- Why Is It So Hard To Find Your Purpose In Life? – 3 Reasons